Adjust price, deposit, interest rate and growth. Compare buy-and-rent, live-in, granny-flat and subdivision strategies side by side — cash to settle, cashflow, equity and annualised return, live. Built by a Melbourne buyers agent.
Here is the scenario as you've set it: you buy this property for $750K and rent it out from day one. You hold for 10 years and assume 5.0% capital growth and 3.0% rent growth per year.
On day one, you need $195,500 in cash — that's your 20% deposit ($150K), $40K of VIC stamp duty, $5K in conveyancing and bank costs. The bank lends you $600K, which costs $3,792 a month at 6.50% over 30 years.
Year 1 rental income is $32K ($618/week × 52). After mortgage and holding costs, that's a negative cashflow of $-25,898. You're out of pocket about $25,898 a year — this is a growth play, not a yield play. The negative gearing offset against your salary recovers roughly 30-45% of that depending on your marginal rate.
Run it forward 10 years and the property is worth $1.22M. Your loan balance has paid down to $512K, so your equity is $710K. Cumulative cashflow over the hold is $-228,875. Together with the equity, your $195,500 of cash grew to $480,630 — an annualised return on cash of 9.4%.
That's a respectable result — comfortably ahead of ASX 200 long-run real returns. Most of the gain comes from leverage and capital growth, not yield.
The 60 sqm granny flat strategy (where the lot allows it) typically adds 3-5 percentage points to the annualised return, because the build cost is recovered in ~8-9 years through the extra rent and the resale value picks up most of the build cost as equity. Toggle the "+ Granny flat" strategy to see the side-by-side — and our due-diligence report checks whether one actually fits a specific lot.
| Strategy | Cash in | Equity (yr 10) | Cumulative cashflow | Annualised return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buy & rent | $195,500 | $710K | $-228,875 | 9.4% |
| Live in it | $195,500 | $710K | $-544,113 | -1.7% |
| + Granny flat | $397,900 | $1.01M | $5,716 | 9.9% |
| Subdivide | $315,500 | $1.00M | $-240,761 | 9.2% |
Our due-diligence report runs a projection like this on a real address — with its bank valuation, comparable sales, planning overlays, granny-flat siting check, schools and street-level data.
This simulator is an illustration built on your chosen assumptions, not a forecast or financial advice. Stamp duty uses the VIC general (investment) schedule; granny-flat and subdivision figures are typical-case estimates — actual feasibility depends on the specific lot. Consider your own circumstances and seek licensed advice.
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